Will the rise of AI-powered writing tools push human writers out of the industry? In this article, we explore the capabilities of AI technology in the field of writing and its potential impact on the profession.
As she spends hours working on her adult fantasy novel, the writer suddenly loses her focus and cannot think of her next word. Instead of feeling frustrated or giving up, she turns to an AI-based writing tool for assistance.
The tool reviews her current work and offers suggestions for the next paragraphs. Although these suggestions may not always fit perfectly with her story, they often include beautiful and enlightening sentences that help to reignite her creativity.
The AI tool can even write lyrics for songs her characters sing, making the writing experience even more seamless. Even when the suggestions don’t work out, they keep the writer engaged and curious about the potential of AI technology in the field.
This drives her to continue working on her novel.
How AI is Enhancing the Writing Process for Professionals
Exploring the Intersection of AI and Writing: How computerized texts are changing the writing process.
With the advancement of high-quality AI-powered writing tools, writers now have access to semi-professional assistants that can assist with various aspects of writing. But as these tools become more prevalent, writers everywhere are left with questions about the role of AI in their craft.
Katy Ilonka Gero, a writer and researcher in the field of human-AI interaction, has spent the last five years investigating how writers feel about using automated text writing systems in their work.
Through interviews with writers and research into the social factors that influence writers’ willingness to use these tools, she has gained a deeper understanding of the different parts of writing and how AI affects each one.
By breaking down writing into three distinct parts—planning, drafting, and revising—we can better understand how computers are impacting the writing process and how to harness their capabilities for a better writing experience.
How Writing is a form of problem-solving for authors
The Novelist’s Perspective: How Writing is a form of problem-solving for authors
As previously discussed, the novelist lady in our article was happy to receive assistance from AI-powered writing tools, but believed that the development of the story or “plot” was a uniquely human endeavor.
She felt that the plot was the core of the story and that it was her job to reveal its meaning. Many other writers agree with her, believing that advancing the story in novels, poems, and texts requires some kind of problem-solving and that they are uniquely equipped to solve such problems.
However, the use of AI-powered writing tools to develop the story can present a challenge to writers, pushing them to improve the computer-generated texts.
One writer interviewed was working on a script for a television series and was told that in order to be successful, his writing had to be completely unique and original.
He realized that even though the computer-generated dialogue was good, he still needed to make it better. He was searching for an AI-powered writing tool to complete the stage dialogues for him, but soon realized that he had to come up with something more unexpected and meaningful.
The Human Touch: Why Planning is the most essential part of Writing
Human Creativity at its finest: The joys of Text Planning in Writing
While AI-powered writing tools can help with various aspects of writing, many writers feel uncomfortable letting the computer take control of their project.
Text planning, which includes finding the turning points, endings, and beginnings of a story, as well as all the other meta-text elements, is often considered one of the most enjoyable and human aspects of writing.
Planning requires a lot of analysis and imagination, and is something that only humans can truly master.
Another challenging part of writing is putting words on paper, which cognitive psychology research refers to as “translation.” Many writers, or even most people who write, are familiar with the feeling of going blank and running out of ideas.
However, this is exactly what AI-based writing systems are designed to do: predict ideas and next sentences.
While some writers may be excited to use computer-generated sentences, others may not want someone else choosing their words. According to many writers, once something is on the screen, it’s difficult to create something else to replace it.
That is why many writers do not like receiving feedback at the beginning of a project because they want to develop the story in their own way. Some writers take pride in spending time writing thousands of new words and sentences, as it’s like exercising, you have to practice or your skills will deteriorate.
Unlocking the Potential: How AI-based Feedback can Improve Writing
Revolutionising Revisions: How AI-based Feedback can Transform Writing
The heavy focus on creating new sentences using AI-based writing tools has led to a neglect of the revision process in writing.
Revising is the stage where writers usually seek the most help from others, but it is rare to find a system that can provide meaningful feedback using AI. However, as researchers explore the capabilities of AI technology in analyzing and providing feedback on text, this may change.
The idea of using computational methods to analyse writing is not new, dating back to early research in statistical language analysis. However, newer technologies are becoming more human-like in their ability to recognise and comment on elements such as the use of new terms or the pacing of a scene. Many writers welcome feedback, and the non-judgmental eyes of a computer may be less intimidating than the critique from a close friend.
The computer’s feedback may also help the writer to see their writing from different perspective.
Some writers find that working with a computer is like talking to themselves, that it is completely private and internal and does not convey the feeling of someone else in the room.
Computers may become primary editors who can comment on your writing before showing it to more important people, providing a new way for writers to improve their works.
The Importance of Understanding AI-based Feedback in Writing
Writers often have a mistrust of computers due to a lack of recognition from them. To accept computer feedback, it’s important to spend more time getting to know the computer and understanding when and under what conditions we can trust them.
Some writers are concerned about the normativity of AI writing systems, as they may reflect the views of a white male society or lead to stereotyping.
While computers do have limitations, designers of AI writing systems can work to contextualize computer feedback without equating it to personal or group identity.
When it comes to the more popular and human aspect of writing, it can be easy to have differing opinions on the use of computers in writing projects.
However, it’s important to consider the various ways in which they can influence our writing and have more discussions on the topic. Most writers want to maintain their originality and intention in their writing, and may appreciate collaboration with a computer as long as they have control over the final outcome.
In terms of readers, it is also important to consider their perspective on computer-written texts.
As computers become more advanced, it may become harder to distinguish their writing from human writing.
It may be up to the readers to determine the acceptability of computer-generated output. The question of authenticity and ownership in writing also arises, with the answer being determined by culture and our sense of truth.
By thinking more critically about the role of computers in writing, we can better understand these questions.
Perspective
This article explores the capabilities of AI technology in the field of writing and its potential impact on the profession.
As high-quality AI-powered writing tools become more prevalent, writers are left wondering about the role of AI in their craft.
Through interviews with writers and research into the social factors that influence writers’ willingness to use these tools, the author gains a deeper understanding of how AI affects different parts of the writing process and how to harness its capabilities for a better writing experience.
While AI can assist with various aspects of writing, many writers feel uncomfortable letting the computer take control of their project, particularly in the planning stage which is considered one of the most enjoyable and human aspects of writing.
Ultimately, it seems that the use of AI-powered writing tools could push human writers to improve their work and strive for more originality, rather than taking over the writing industry entirely.
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